Turbulent Skies
by Aleigh Walker
Summary: After a promise to Yuna,Rikku finds herself on an airship playing peacemaker between Brother and Gippal. However she and Gippal seem to have a few unresolved issues of their own. RG
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! This is my first FF X-2 fanfiction. It is pretty much a prologue to an idea I had while trying to write the next chapter to my other story. Let me know what you think!

Aleigh Walker

**Turbulent Skies**

**Why Me?**

"Come-on Rikku. Please?" begged Yuna.

"Not a chance. Not even for a new dress-sphere." Rikku's voice was muffled as it drifted out from under the machina.

She had been working on this stupid thing for the last two days. Four days ago, the left side propellant engine on their airship quit, and they had made an emergency landing in the center of the Calm Lands. Not the smoothest of landings, but at least they were still in one piece. In one piece, but unable to fly anywhere.

Thus, they had been land bound for days. Brother had not taken it well. _At all_. If he asked her when the ship would be ready to fly one more time, she was going to tie him up and leave him to the Marlboro that was lurking around outside. Or whichever fiend that got to him first.

If Pops ever asked what happened to him, she could always say it was an accident. Yeah, she thought, an accident of _birth_. She chewed on her lower lip and tried to move her arm into a position it didn't naturally want to go. _Had to reach…got it. _Rikku pulled the offending wiring out and spliced in a new segment.

It had taken them two days to simply _locate_ the malfunction site. Right now, they were trying to _fix_ the blasted thing. Yards and yards of wiring lay burned. Rikku had followed and replaced electrical lines until she was seeing them in her dreams. Buddy was busily checking out the other engine, while Shinra was looking into the hardware programming; he thought that the malfunction may have been triggered by a code he had experimented with. Brother was, well… being Brother.

"Please Rikku" Yuna cajoled. "You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

"The answer is still no." she glared at the black boots that were Yuna's.

The two of them had shown up about an hour ago trying to talk her into their madcap scheme. Yuna was currently pacing around the engine room in agitation while Paine was leaning against the wall watching the clash of wills.

"Paine, tell her how important this is." _Just great, two on one_ Rikku thought as Yuna turned to the most silent member of the former Gullwings for support.

"Come-on Rikku, its worth sixty respect points." Paine enticed.

She heaved a sigh and blew a lock of hair out of her face. They weren't going to give up she acknowledged. She grumbled irritably as she climbed out from the machina. She was filthy and desperately in need of a bath. The smell of burnt plastic was probably permanently adhered to her skin and a combination of oil and dirt clung to everywhere. _Ugh_…

"Sixty respect points? You want me to convince Brother to let Gippal use his _baby_ as a taxi service! You do remember that those two _never_ have gotten along right? And as if that wasn't enough, you want _me_ on damage control. I have a hard time keeping _Brother_ under control, and in line. But with the _two_ of them going at it… I'm liable to dump them _both_ off in the middle of the ocean! This whole idea is… is…" Rikku floundered for a dire enough word to sum up the whole fiasco waiting to happen.

"Disasteriffic?" Yuna helpfully supplied.

"Exactly!" agreed Rikku. "Why don't _you_ go ask him Yuna? I know exactly what his response would be. '_Yuna wants? Yuna gets_!' Brother would never refuse a request from you." She stated reasonably. Perhaps she wouldn't be needed after all.

"Er… well I did. But…" Yuna scuffed the toe of her boot into the ground.

"But... what?" Rikku prompted the reluctant summoner.

"I believe his exact words were, '_No Yuna, no fly_.'" Inserted Paine helpfully. "It seems that unless Yuna is going, he wasn't interested." Paine explained as Rikku rolled her eyes at her brother's antics.

"Please Rikku, it really is important." Yuna said desperately. "All of those old scrolls they found in that hidden room under Bevell hinted at the possibility of farplaine and summons research in the west sea. Just think how useful that information would be! Especially now, with the massive increase of fiends running around; it's harder than ever for people leave their home! Never have they been so bad." Yuna was really, really, worried Rikku realized.

Frustrated, Rikku ran her hands through her hair and paused mid way. Her hands, she remembered, were definably not clean; nor was her hair, at least not any more. aggravated she spun on her heel and kicked the side of the airship. The satisfying clang helped relieve some of her irritation.

"Aghh!" hollered Shinra, who still lay buried deep within the depths of engine. Rikku cringed.

"Sorry Shinra, I forgot you were still in here." She said guiltily as she poked her head inside the opening. That must have sounded _really_ loud inside.

"No, kick it again! I think I found something!" his muffled voice drifted out.

Rikku caught the priceless looks Paine, and Yuna gave her. She grinned at them, shrugged and gave the metal casing a couple of swift and satisfying kicks. From inside she heard a cry of victory, soon followed by a metallic hum. Rikku danced in victory. _Fixed_!

"And that," drawled Paine sarcastically. "is the fabled 'secret touch' of the Al-Bhed." Yuna giggled.

After sticking out her tongue at Paine, Rikku reached down to help pull the struggling Shinra up out of the engine. In elation, she swung him around before he reached the ground safely. After gaining his own feet, he ran over to Yuna to give her a hug. Yuna embraced him tightly as they all looked up to see Buddy emerge out from under the still working engine.

"Please Rikku," pleaded Yuna after she let go to Shinra. "I need your help on this. Tidias and I would go, but we are needed here. Feinds had been slowly dieing out since the defeat of Sin, but suddenly more and more are appearing. People are starting to panic; they think that Sin may be coming back again. If I disappear now, people might start to panic." Yuna looked imploringly at Rikku.

"Awww, Yunie, you know I can't resist it when you say you need me. No fair. You know I promised to always be their for you." Rikku whined.

She looked over to Shinra and Buddy who had been listening to the whole idea and argument. If they agreed, she would do it. After all the airship wasn't exactly hers alone. She arched an eyebrow questioningly.

"Well, it _has_ been a while since we have had any good missions." Buddy pointed out. "All of the spheres on dry land seemed to have been found. Who knows what we might find under the sea. I say we go for it."

"Certainly." Agreed Shinra. "Besides I have wanted to test my new underwater radar. If we have any trouble we can always keep in touch with the comspheres."

"Well, I guess that is settled. Yuna, consider the Gullwings are on the case!" Rikku bounced, ready for action despite her initial reluctance.

She was looking forwards to this more than she would admit. Buddy was right. The sphere hunting business had been slow of late. Really slow. After helping to save the world twice, Rikku found that she was happiest when she was constantly on the move.

"Ah, what about Brother?" Pain's question did little to dampen Rikku's growing enthusiasm.

"Well if he refuses…" Began Buddy.

"Then we mutiny!" finished Rikku.

"Is that allowed?" Yuna asked Shinra in surprise.

"Don't look at me, I'm just a kid." Shinra shrugged.

"Alright let's _GO_!" shouted Rikku enthusiastically.

"Ah, not you." Instructed Shinra.

"Ehhh? Why?" asked a puzzled Rikku.

"Your still supposed to be replacing wires." Explained the youngest Al-Bhed.

"Yup, Back to work." Ordered Brother.

"But, but I wanted a bath!" complained Rikku.

'Sorry Rikku. Orders are orders." Yuna smiled as she passed on her way to the stairs.

"Harsh crew." Commented Paine as she followed the retreating summoner.

Rikku watched as everyone in the room filed up the stairs and to the lift. She stuck her tongue out at their retreating backs. In dismay, she looked at the engine she had to finish rewiring before she could get out and find a bath.

"Awww... Why me?" she cried out in the empty room.


	2. Thumping Noises?

**Thumping Noises?**

"Come on, let's _go_ people" Rikku called as she ran down the ramp of the Celsius.

Once on the ground she took a deep breath and turned around. She loved Kilika Island. It had sun, sand, and the sea. Not to mention, one of the Gullwings greatest coup had taken place here. All that aside, Rikku's favorite thing about Kilika, was the people who lived there.

It was hard to believe that the whole town had been leveled only four years ago. After Sin had destroyed everything, the citizens had vowed to make it bigger and better. And they had. In the two years since the Gullwings split up, they had almost doubled in size _again_. Rikku counted three new docks and a special platform that could accommodate _six_ airships.

Not that they _had_ six airships to land. Aside from Pop's old one and the Celsius, there were only two more in existence. One had been dug up just north of the Zanarkand ruins, and the other was a miniature version that the Machine faction had designed. As far as she knew, it ran all right, even if it wasn't anywhere near as large as the originals it was patterned after.

"Like what we have done with the place?" Drawled a feminine voice off to her left. Rikku grinned and turned to greet the speaker.

"Dona! How have you been? You look…" Rikku's voice trailed off as she examined Dona's form closely.

"Very pregnant." Dona finished for her with a slight smile. She gave an elegant shrug. "It's all Barthello's fault."

Rikku laughed at Dona as she noted all of the changes the former summoner had gone through. Her face seemed softer, and her skin and hair glowed with good health. Pregnancy obliviously agreed with her. Gone was her traditional outfit. In its place was a simple wrap, arranged to lie comfortably over her enlarged stomach. Rikku gazed at it in curiosity.

'May I?" Rikku asked, as she reached out to gently place her hand above the baby's resting place.

"Don't let me stop you. A pregnant woman's stomach seems to be public property anyway." Dona placed Rikku's hand against her protruding stomach. To Rikku's immense delight, the baby chose that moment to shift.

"OOOHHHHH!" Rikku squealed in delight. "It moved! It really moved!" Dona snorted in laughter.

"Yes," she replied. "_I know_." Dona watched Rikku with a faintly amused expression.

"_Oh_, does it hurt?" Rikku asked frowning in concern.

"No, it just feels…" Dona trailed off searching for the right word. "Odd. It's hard to describe how it feels to someone who has never carried a baby shoopuf strapped to their middle." Rikku giggled at this description.

"When is the baby due? You sure didn't look pregnant when I saw you last!" she exclaimed.

"That's because the last time I saw you was about six and a half months ago. I was only about two months pregnant at the time. Only half a month to go, then it's over." Dona smiled dreamily as she thought of being her normal size once again.

"Which are you hoping for? A girl or a boy?" Rikku demanded curiously.

"I don't care as long as it's _out_." Drawled Dona.

Rikku was about to pick on her, about her lack of preference, when footsteps sounded from behind her. She turned around.

"Well, well, if it isn't Cid's little girl." Gippal reached out and tousled her hair.

Rikku stuck her tongue out at him as she ducked her head trying to get away. Dona looked on with amusement and Rikku heard laughter from behind Gippal. A group from the Machine Faction stood behind him, most of whom she knew.

"Hi Gippal." She looked past him to the Al Bhed behind him. "Hi guys!" she waved at them and they grinned at her, waved back and offered their own greetings.

"Dona, you had best get back to the base. Barthello is about to tear up the whole of Fort looking for you." Gippal informed Dona with a great amount of amusement as he slung his arm over Rikku's shoulder. "I'll make sure that the Princess makes it to the meeting on time."

"Fine. Rikku, I'll talk to you after the meeting." She turned to make her way off the landing platform.

"Wait" Gippal called after her. "Shaami, go with her." He instructed one of the females behind him.

Dona put her hand on her hip, or where her hip used to be, and rolled her eyes.

"I'm pregnant Gippal. Not lost and helpless." She muttered something disparaging about overprotective men.

"Hay, just humor me. If Barthello found out that I let you walk three feet by yourself, I'd never hear the end of it. He has gotten down right _scary_." Gippal shuddered in mock terror.

Dona rolled her eyes. "Fine, come Shaami. Let us go save the Fort from the rampaging ape. Arm in arm they strolled down the platform.

"And as for you." Gippal looked down to address Rikku. "Everyone is waiting. What is the holdup?" He demanded.

"Well, we've had a hard time with… a package that … needs to be at the meeting." She haltingly explained. "We had a hard time getting it into a crate." Rikku was avoiding eye contact now. Gippal looked at her oddly then shrugged.

"We'll help you. Kwinn, let's go get this crate." Gippal called over his shoulder to his second in command as he started up the ramp of the Celsius. Kwinn gave him a mock salute, winked at Rikku and followed his leader up into the airship.

In a few moments, and after a considerable amount of cussing, Gippal, Kwinn, and Buddy reappeared carrying the large crate. Shinra and Barkeep followed a step behind filling in the supervisor position. Appreciative feminine sighs echoed from behind her. Rikku turned to look at the three Al Bhed still on the platform with her.

"What?" asked Kiyuri. "You have to admit, the three of them look really good. Rippley muscles mmmm… Although it would have been better if Brother was here too." She sighed.

"Brother?" spluttered Rikku. "You mean my _brother_, Brother?" she asked slightly horrified.

"Of course _your_ Brother. Unless you want to give him away," Hildy asked hopefully. "He would look nice tied naked on my bed." She laughed at Rikku's expression.

"NO,NO,NO" Rikku cried as she covered her ears. "I'm not hearing this! The visual image is going to _blind_ me!" She shook her head forcefully to remove the offending images. She looked imploringly at Mep who had yet to speak.

"Sorry," Mep shrugged. "He is cute."

Rikku whimpered in agony. There were certain things that could make Rikku cringe in terror, and thinking of her brother naked was one of them. She could certainly do without that mental image. The three Al Bhed's were now openly laughing at her. She made a face at them before she erupted in laughter as well.

"If your ladies are done, the meeting _is_ waiting on us." Gippal reminded them as Shinra closed up the Celsius.

"Right Gippal." Kiyuri, Hildy, and Mep coursed. They grabbed onto Rikku's arms and drug her along behind the boys.

One thing was for certain, Rikku acknowledged, all of those straining muscles did look nice. She bit back on a sigh of her own as she watched the three guys carry the crate.

"Damn Rikku, what do you have in this thing, it feels like dead weight." Kiyuri demanded as he grappled for a better grip on the crate. "How did you think you could get this to the Fort without Brother's help?" he asked her incredulously.

"Well…" Rikku floundered.

"Speaking of Brother, where in Spira is he?" Demanded Gippal. "He _has_ to be at this meeting."

"He will, ah… meet us there." Rikku answered evasively.

"Meet us there? Doesn't he realize how important this is? I know that we don't get along, but it is vital that we find…"Gippal's tirade faded off as a frantic thumping issued forth from inside the crate.

Gippal gave Rikku an odd glance as he knelt set the crate on the ground. Rikku carefully avoided all eye contact as she twirled a strand of hair between her fingers. The other four Al Bhed looked to Gippal for guidance. She snuck a glance at him and found that he was holding back his laughter.

"Er… are we going to find what I think we're going to find?" asked Kwinn as he watched Gippal reach for the latches holding the crate shut.

"Only one way to find out." He answered as he finished releasing the last latch and opened the box.

Rikku nervously watched Gippal. She, of course, knew exactly what he would find inside that crate. Brother, bound and gagged. And most likely very irate. She hadn't _really_ been joking with Yuna and Paine when she suggested mutiny. But it was for the greater good! Besides, the last part of the flight had been blissfully silent and relaxing. Well, after they had gagged him that it was.

"Huh. Guess we shouldn't have taught her how to tie all of those knots after all." Gippal grinned as he addressed the furiously twitching form that was Brother.

A garbled mess of mumbling and thumping issued from the inside of the crate. Brother apparently had quite a bit to say, or mumble as the case may be. Rikku was reasonably certain she didn't want to know what he was trying to say.

"Oi, watch it. There are ladies present." Gippal admonished. "Well, we should be moving along now. The meeting is about to start." With those cheerful words Gippal lowered the lid and latched it again.

Once latched the three guys picked up the crate and started off down the dock once again. This time with heavy, and audible, thumps coming from inside. Brother had apparently taken exception to being relocked back inside. That was one unhappy male family member. One thing was for certain. Rikku was going to get someone else to open it up and set him loose. She planed to be far, far away.

"Well." Drawled Hildy. "This is bound to mark the start of an interesting expedition."

Rikku groaned. There were a limited number of places you could hide on an airship. Hildy was right; this was surely a sign of how smoothly things were to go after they got in the air. How was she going to keep them from throwing each other off the ship? How was _she_ going to keep from throwing them _both_ of the ship? Yuna owed her. _Big time_.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Hi everyone. Sorry that I took so long to put of another chapter, but I'm bad, what can I say. This is just a reminder that yes, I am still here, but to be honest I probably won't update as much as you would like. This story is currently only posed when I get stuck with my other one. However, I do plan to finish it. Once I finish The Shadow Ways the chapters will be longer, and I will update more often. So until them I beg you to pardon my uneven updates.

Oh, as you notice, I seem to have several original characters, along with a whole plethora of actual characters. So please let me know if they start to confuse, annoy, and/or start to seem mary-sue-ish to you as the reader.

Thanks, Aleigh


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